ALL-STAR GAME

February 18, 2024

Jayson Tatum

Eastern Conference

Press Conference

East 211, West 186

Q. Before the game, you met Larry Bird for the first time. Can you take us through that conversation? What did you know about him besides being a Celtic legend before you met him? What was that feeling like pregame?

JAYSON TATUM: He was in the locker room before the game. Him, Adam Silver, and Dr. J, they were talking to us. Once they got done, I thought I was going to be able to shake his hand. I turned around, and he was gone.

I remember I was standing there like I never met Larry Bird. I've never been in the same room with him. As crazy as it sounds, it's never worked out.

So Taylor, our PR girl, saw him before -- I was sitting on the sidelines, and she grabbed me. She was like, ‘He's over there.’ I got a chance to go meet him and tell him how much of an honor it was to meet him. He told me he was looking forward to meeting me. So that was crazy to hear him say that.

He's a lot taller than I thought he was. But obviously what he means to the game, what he means to the city of Boston and the Celtics, he's the ultimate Celtic. It was an honor to meet him.

Q. You and Jaylen have been able to do this together a couple times now. What has this weekend come to mean for you two in terms of how you were able to bond while you were here? You were able to do the Dunk Contest with him. What did that mean? How have you been able to spend this time together now that you've been doing it every year?

JAYSON TATUM: All-Star Weekend is special, and it's always more special when you get to share it with a teammate or two. I've been fortunate enough to share it with him three times now. It was great. It was great to have a teammate, familiar face around, especially we get to share the same locker room.

It's a special weekend for us, for our families, obviously for our team, the Celtics. So it's always great.

Q. Jayson, as the reigning All-Star Game MVP, I guess you're more qualified than others to answer this question. There was a case to be made for Tyrese, case to be made for Dame, case to be made for Jaylen. How do you view the MVP of the East this year?

JAYSON TATUM: Much deserved. Like you said, we scored 200 points. We had three guys score over 36 points, so it could have went either way. But Dame put on a show. I was happy for him. It was cool that I could take a backseat this year and kind of chill and get to enjoy the show a little bit.

Q. Your dad [Justin Tatum] has had the opportunity this year to coach the Ilwarra Hawks in Australia. Has he given you an insight to the level of how Australian basketball is down there, and do you envision visiting any time soon?

JAYSON TATUM: Actually, I got to talk to him before the game started. The time difference is a little crazy. He actually is up -- he's a Finalist for Coach of the Year. He started off as an assistant coach, and the head coach got let go, and halfway through the season.

They were like in the 10th or 11th seed, and how he kind of turned around. They're in the 4th seed going into the playoffs. Extremely obviously happy for him. Happy for what he's been able to do over there and kind of turn that organization around.

He loves it. He loves it over there. He loves being in Australia. He says the games are extremely competitive. The atmosphere is crazy. Hopefully they can continue and go all the way. But it's been great to see him turn that thing around and have a lot of success over there.

Q. Two things: One, did Larry have any advice for you just handling being the face of the Celtics? Two, it's nice you got to share the moment with Jaylen, but is it more fun to go up against him in the All-Star Game or play with him in the All-Star Game?

JAYSON TATUM: Meeting Larry, it was super quick. I had told him it was an honor to meet him, and he told me he was looking forward to finally get to meet me. Then we took a picture. So we didn't get to talk in detail.

It's much better being on the same team with JB. It's what I'm used to. We've competed against each other in practice for seven years now, so I'm kind of tired of doing that. So it's good to be on the same team for sure.

Q. As I talked to a lot of players over the weekend, one thing that's constantly come up is how important it is to have family and friends here at this event to support you and cheer you on. What has that meant to you over the years, and how important is it to you to have them here, especially with the travel schedule you all have?

JAYSON TATUM: It's extremely important. Being an All-Star is obviously a reflection of the work that you've put in your whole life, the work that you've obviously put in the first half of the season, but it should be celebrated with your family. Nobody is successful by themselves. Everybody has a support group, people to help raise them, support them through ups and downs.

So this time this weekend is for obviously yourself, but to bring your friends, families, partners, or whatever it may be to this event, to this weekend because there's a lot of activities and things like that, and there's just memories. Memories that build with the people who essentially help you get to this moment.

Q. We've talked to a lot of veteran All-Star appearance members here about changes in the format, going back to East-West, shorter introductions. I was just curious, as somebody who's maybe experienced a little bit less of the All-Star history, what do you think about the changes this year? Do you think it lent itself to a better experience for you as a player going back to East-West, shorter introductions? Did it turn into a better game for you?

JAYSON TATUM: I loved it. The shorter introductions, not being on the stage and all that, I'm definitely a fan of that.

East versus West, I thought it was cool. This is my first All-Star Game experience in East versus West. So that's kind of what I grew up watching. I enjoyed that.

Yeah, I liked it better this year honestly. It was a regular game. Halftime was a little shorter, and the introductions was a lot shorter. So it felt like a little bit more normal of a game than past years.

Q. You keep doing so many good things back home in your community of St. Louis. We just heard another initiative where you're giving $1 million to homeowners back there. What does it mean to you really just to be a role model? Be a role model not just for the kids back in St. Louis, but also across the country. You see Tatum jerseys across the country. What does it mean to be a role model for kids in St. Louis and across the country?

JAYSON TATUM: I think it's my responsibility. I understand the platform that I have and the position that I'm in. I'm in a position to inspire a lot of kids and a lot of people, and I think, as we all were inspired by somebody. I feel like, as you grow up, you should always keep that in mind, that somebody inspired you to get where you are today.

The larger your platform, I feel like the larger your responsibility is. Growing up from St. Louis, I always had it in my mind that I wanted to impact my community. I wanted to change and make St. Louis a better place than when I grew up. I didn't always know how to articulate that when I was younger, but from a very young age, I knew that I was going to be where I'm at today, and that I was going to inspire kids and help change lives back where I'm from.